 Area: 10,807 sq.km
The Boundaries of East Godavari are Bay of Bengal in the East and South,
Khammam district in the West and Vishakapatnam district in the North
directions.
Rivers: Godavari, Eleru, Pampa, and Sabari.
Major Places:
Kakinada, Rajamundry, Tuni, Samarlakot, Amalapuram, Mandapeta,
Rajole.
Industries:
Andhra Paper Mill, Godavari and Nagarjuna Fertilizers, Sugar
factories at Samarlakota and Pittahpuram, Plywood unit at
Rampachodavaram, Dairy, Hatchery and Piggary Forms, Fisheries, Spinning
and Saw Mills.
Tourist Places:
Coringa and Papikonda wild life Santuaries, Adurru, a Buddhist centre,
Papikondalu, Rajahmundry bridge and Andhra paper mills.
Pilgrimage Centers:
Kukkuteswara Temple at Pitahpuram, Sri Sathya Narayana Swamy Temple at
Annavaram, Draksharamam, Sri Jagan Mohini Chennakesava Swamy Temple at
Ryali, Kotilingeswara temple at Rajahmundry, Appanapalle temple,
Kumararamam at Samarlakota, and Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at
Antarvedi.
Handicrafts:
Bell metal crafts.Once this District was the son border of Kalinga.
This place was under the rule of the Satavahanas, Eastern Chalukya-Cholas,
Kakatiyas, Reddis, Gajapatis, Vijayanagara, Qutub Shahin, and the
British Chalukyas. This district was formed in the year 1904. Manyam
Leader Sri Alluri Seetha Rama Raju Hails from this District.
The Forest area Occupies 29% of the total area, and Surplus Timber is
extracted From these forests, especially the Bamboo's which feeds the
Andhra Paper Mills Situated at Rajahmundry. coringa Crocodile Sanctuary
and PapiKonda Wild Life Sanctuaries Protecting Tigers, Foxes, and
different kinds of Birds on the banks of the river Godavari speak on the
concern towards the conservation of Wild life in these areas.
Electricity supply to this district is mainly through Thermal Power
station at Rajahmundry, Machkand Hydro Power project and Natural gas
Power station at Vijjeswaram. Dhavaleshwaram Project built on the river
Godavari Supplies waters to Major parts of the farming lands, Eleru is
another small Irrigation project. District hosts Kakinada Port that is
Second biggest port in Andhra Pradesh. This district has Small Scale
Industries of Musical instruments at Pitahpuram. Educational Institutes
Come under Andhra University.
Accessibility:
Kakinada, the headquarters of East Godavari district is well
connected by rail and road. The port of Kakinada serves coastal traffic.
History
Centuries ago, Andhra Pradesh was a major Buddhist centre and
part of Emperor Ashoka's sprawling kingdom. Not surprisingly,
traces of early Buddhist influence are still visible in several places
in and around the state. After the death of Emperor Ashoka, several
dynasties from the Ikshvakus, Pallavas, Chalukyas,
Kakatiyas, Vijayanagaram kings, Qutb Shahis,
Mughals and the Asaf Jahi's, ruled this princely city.
The history of Andhra
Pradesh dates back to the epic era of the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha.
But the documented history points to 236 BC, when Satavahana
established a kingdom and a dynasty around the modern Hyderabad.
During the reign of 450 years, Buddhism flourished in the kingdom. The
rulers were followers of Brahmanism, but the women folk practiced
Buddism. It was during this period that Buddhism spread from these
shores to China, The far East and to Sri Lanka. The Ikshvakus
succeeded the Satavahanas and ruled the kingdom for 57 years. The
Pallavas annexed the area South of River Krishna and ruled till the end
of 6th century.
Then came the dynasties of Chalukyas and the Kakatiyas.
The Kakatiyas established themselves as rulers of a Telugu speaking
people. The glorious reign of the Kakatiyas came to end in the 14th
century and for the first time Telugus came under a Muslim regime
that brought with it a totally different set of customs, language and
religion.
The Delhi Sultanate came in power in 1347 AD, governed by Allahuddin
Hasan, claiming lineage to Bahman Shah of Persia, revolted against
the Delhi Sultanate and declared himself ruler of the southern part of
the territory, comprising mainly the Deccan and Telangana area.
It was somewhere around this time that the Qutub Shahi dynasty
came into being when Sultan Quli, the Bahmani governor of
Telangana, became independent and extend the new kingdom of Golconda
right upto Machlipatnam on the east coast. Given the title of
Quli-ul-Mulk by the Bahmanis, Qutub Shah, a descendant of a royal family
of Hamdan in Persia, took over the reins and ruled till 1548.
Aurangazeb last Mogul king to rule India, conquered the Deccan
in 1687 and left his governors, the Nizams, to rule Andhra.
The British and French took over from the Nizams. Andhra became a
part of Indian Union in 1947. The present state was formed in 1953,
merging a part of the then Madras State (present Tamil Naidu) and the
princely state of Hyderabad.
Heritage
The various dynasties that ruled the State of Andhra Pradesh, from the
Ikshvakus, Pallavas, Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Vijayanagaram kings, Qutb
Shahis, Mughals, to the Asaf Jahis, all have contributed significantly
to the State's rich cultural tapestry and have left behind a heritage
studded with spectacular monuments, temples, mosques, palaces all
vibrant with arts, crafts, dance and literature.
The state has a rich cultural heritage. The great composers of carnatic
music Annamacharya, Tyagaraja and many others chose Telugu as their
language of composition, thus enriching the language. Kuchipudi is the
state's classical dance form.Andhrites have been movie buffs decades.
The state produces about 200 top notch movies per year.
Andhra Pradesh has several museums, including the Salar Jung Museum,
which features a varied collection of sculptures, paintings, and
religious artifacts, and the Archaeological Museum, which features
Buddhist and Hindu sculptures and other antiques; both museums are
located in Hyderabad
The State is rich in natural resources, cultural heritage, history and
most of all, an opportunity to explore them, created by combining the
old princely state of Hyderabad with the Telugu speaking portions of the
former state of Chennai, Andhra Pradesh to this day retains much of its
regal glory and mystic charm.
Telugu, the official language of Andhra Pradesh, is described by C.P.
Brown as the " Italian of the East ". It has been influenced by
Sanskrit. The prominent poets of Telugu include Nannaya, Tikkana, Sri
Krishna Devarayulu and a host of others.
The dance styles in the State are based on the standard treatises, viz.
Abhinaya Darpana and Bharatarnava of Nandikeshwara, which is sub-divided
into Nattuva Mala and Natya Mala.
Kuchipudi, a blend of music and abhinaya, is Andhra Pradesh‘s unique
contribution to dance it have flowered from a village called Kuchelapuri
or Kuchelapuram in Krishna district. From its birth around 300 B. C., it
has remained a continuous and living tradition of this region, performed
by men of the Brahmin community.
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